The Coulter Whirlwind

Some thoughts from Louis Lesko of louis du monde on the Ann Coulter debate:

Anne Coulter's recent debacle at the CPAC event was not nearly as tragic as the response that it generated from the various denizens in the media and on the internet. I have never seen so much profanity used to decry the momentary gaffe of another person. It saddens me that someone like Miss Coulter could not see the absolute distaste of her comment. But it saddens me even more when so many responses to her indiscretion resort to far worse derogatory language and generalizations. It is just not necessary.

There is not a person alive who has gone through life not regretting something they said. Once one realizes that an unfortunate articulation of words has hit the ears of others, I feel that they should have opportunity to apologize. Not that Miss Coulter has, but she barley had a chance before the blogosphere was alight with its criticisms. Sadly, Coulter supporters made it more difficult for her to set things straight when they tried to assign some credence to her faux pas by calling her comments a stand against political correctness. That contention is ridiculous. But now we have the "if one says it, they all believe it" mentality. Robert Scheer's blog post on the Huffington Post starts out as an endorsement of Mr. Edwards, the target of Miss Coulter's comment, and ends up as an excoriating statement about the attendees of CPAC and the Right.

It was as if all the brutal respondents to Miss Coulter's gaffe were vicious
dogs restrained on a leash and the leash broke with her remarks. This was the mistake of a single person not the belief of everyone who prefers to vote Republican. It is irresponsible to make those kinds of parallels and smacks of the same type of generalizing that Miss Coulter employed.
Worst of all, the rhetoric currently circulating has done nothing to shed some
light on issues of the group that should be the most offended by this event - the gay community. There has got to be a point in the evolution of this country that a couple that has chosen to be committed to each other through thick and thin is recognized as just that. A devoted couple. My gosh, homosexuality has been around as long as mankind.

As for Miss Coulter, if she can muster up an apology, I think we should listen. The freedom of this country is dependent on all of us exercising a measure of tolerance. If she can not, then her fan base will probably dwindle, and she'll have to get a new job.
Responding to her comments is a good thing. Technology and freedom of speech make it possible to have a forum. But, casting dispersion upon an entire group of people that Miss Coulter is associated with portrays this country as a land of two herds with only two beliefs. This type of categorizing is for the mainstream news media who have yelled themselves into a spiral of banality.

As to the rest of us who post to the web, we have a real opportunity to
demonstrate in an intelligent way what I have found to be manifest in my travels around the United States. The true majority of this country is made up of lot of people with differing beliefs. All of which are valid and interesting. To dismiss any ones unique ideas because of the way they vote is to rob us all of the greatest asset this country has to offer.

The freedom to be an individual.